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7 Big Mistakes New Affiliate Marketers Make

When I first started in affiliate marketing, all I wanted was to just make money. Off I ran in every direction, trying everything, with no real idea of the mistakes I was making that could very well affect my chances at long term success.

Through my years of experience with both affiliate marketing and teaching other affiliate marketers, I have come to the conclusion that there are 7 big mistakes new affiliate marketers make.

Let’s talk about these mistakes in more detail.

1) Selling Rather Than Helping

Yes, the word “marketing” is part of the phrase affiliate marketing, but for the most part, our job as an affiliate is not to sell — that is the job of the sales page our affiliate links lead the reader to.

When I first started, my overwhelming (and totally naive) impulse was to fill my pages with words and links that screamed “BUY THIS NOW!”. I didn’t help the reader learn why they should have this product. I only wanted them to click a link which would hopefully lead to a commission for me.

People want to hear from other people when making a decision to buy a product or not — that’s why the reviews on Amazon products are so powerful. Those reviews are genuine feedback from people who (usually) have absolutely nothing to gain if someone buys that product or not.

When we talk more like an unbiased reviewer rather than a high-pressure salesperson, we will find we make more sales and people will come back for advice on other products in the future.

2) Too Many!

This is another big mistake I made when starting out — joining any and every affiliate program I came across. While I absolutely do believe in cultivating multiple streams of income when working online, there is a point where you have too much to deal with and it becomes unmanageable.

Choose your affiliate programs wisely and don’t overload yourself.

3) Not Testing

Whenever I choose to promote a Clickbank offer (for example), I put myself in the shoes of a potential customer and opt in to test the vendors’ follow up sequence.

I learned this the hard way.

Nothing breaks a reader’s trust more than being led to a promotion that will blow up their inbox. Put yourself in the shoes of a potential customer and see what will happen if they follow your advice.

4) Not Tracking

This was a BIG mistake I made when I first started out. I began my affiliate marketing career using free-to-make web pages on a site called Squidoo (and I still do this to this day).

I am fond of promoting Amazon products on these pages, but would forget to use unique tracking affiliate links on each page.

Why is this a mistake? Very simple — when you make a sale, you want to know WHERE the sale came from. This enables you to know which pages are converting well so you can grow and scale that campaign.

Creating a unique tracking ID for an Amazon link is easy. Simply log in to your Amazon affiliate dashboard, click “Account Settings” at the very top on the right, then click “Manage Tracking IDs”. From there you can make a new tracking ID so you can track which web page/campaign sold what. You can learn more about using Amazon’s Tracking IDs here.

Yes, making any commission is cool, but knowing where and how you made that commission is what makes you a better marketer. It lets you grow and scale your campaigns — as opposed to working blindly.

5) Not Comparing

One of the best converting tactics I use to sell affiliate products online (especially physical products from Amazon) is to compare the “main” product with two other similar products.

When people are in buying mode for a physical product, they tend to have their options narrowed down to 2 or 3 and need help making the choice that is best for them.

By comparing the “3 Best Widgets For _______”, I not only help my readers make a choice, but I also have my affiliate links there for THREE products instead on only one.

Over time, when I track that web page, I will be able to see which product is most interesting to readers and move the best converting product to the top of the page for better CTR.

Comparison web pages are not only very popular and helpful for readers, they are also very profitable for you.

6) Make Money Online Products

Perhaps you’ve seen this before. You’re in a “learn online marketing” type forum. A person publishes a post complaining that they can’t make a dime online. But in their signature line they have something along the lines of “I Made 50 Million Dollars with This” followed by their affiliate link.

It happens all the time. Please, don’t be that person.

If you’re new and you want to promote products in the Make Money Online arena, don’t make false claims that it made you money. In fact, don’t make false claims at all!

Sure, talk about the benefits of the product/training — maybe even why it sounds awesome to you — but don’t try to trick people. You will ruin your credibility.

7) “Oh Look! A Butterfly!”

This is the biggest downfall for any new affiliate marketer. In fact, it can cause really big issues for seasoned affiliate marketers as well.

It is all too common to be working on one thing when all of a sudden, something “shiny” comes through your inbox or is mentioned in a forum you frequent. Then off you go chasing some new idea to make money online.

Ignore the “butterflies” that are sure to fly by on a constant basis. They will just distract you from your project/campaign at hand. One completed and profitable campaign is worth so much more than 50 almost half-finished campaigns or projects.

Affiliate marketing is a business that requires self-motivation and focus. For many of us, these are learned skills. Once you are aware of the the mistakes that can cause a lack of profits and productivity, you will be better able to grow your business and be profitable long-term.

Best of luck!!

Some opinions expressed in this article may be those of a guest author and not necessarily Marketing Land. Staff authors are listed here.

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http://AppleMiniTablet.com/ Michael Musgrove

Great tips! Thanks for sharing.The comparison tip is especially valuable for me, and reminded me that it doesn’t take much to send people into analysis paralysis. It seems 3 main choices is about right for most situations for anything. My tactic with Amazon has been to put any and everything I can find for my niche on a site, which is crazy. As you stated- I need t help people decide–not confuse them further and just ‘hope’ they buy something.

http://twitter.com/legitimate007 JODY MOORE

great information, I will plus1 this blog immediately for my subscribers

http://www.postlinearity.com gregorylent

feel like i just stumbled into a snake oil sales meeting

http://www.facebook.com/Keith.e.kins Keith Coppuck

Weighing 288 lbs I never thought I could be described as a “butterfly” but that’s exactly what I am. I now have more than a dozen websites and keep creating more – Is there such a thing as website creation addict? Great article Jennifer it was like you have been watching me :-) Cheers Keith in Wales, UK.

http://www.gadarian.com David Gadarian

Hi Jennifer. I’ve been to your site a few times in the past – baby steps on my end but I am getting closer… I wanted to say that I thought Point 5 in particular was inspired. Thanks for sharing these tips!

json5

Thank you for the Manage Amazon Tracking ID’s tip! That’s a beauty!

barry

the article was helpful …

Satish Coolpctips

I will make sure i wont repeat this mistakes mentioned here. From past 2months i am just reading stuff about affilate marketing and never implementing anything. Time to work on few things now. Thank you so much for making me to understand what not to do.. many people have mentioned what to do, but very few tell us what not to :D

http://twitter.com/craig_pullman Craig Pullman

Hi Jennifer,
some sound advice in your post. Hindsight is a great teacher. Wish I knew this when I first started online. Thanks for the great tips.
Craig

Anindo

So true… I have started internet marketing and I am learning from people like you quickly. Thanks!!

yonan

Geat tips, very helpful I try to make some changes in my strategies from NOW! Thanks

http://www.boldinternet.co.uk/ Adrian Bold

Great post. If I wasn’t chasing butterflies, I might have read all the way to the end! :-)